On Wednesday 1 October, the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) played a prominent role in the 3rd Innovation and Digital Transformation Fair, organised by the Campo de Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce. It should be noted that the Fair is part of the ‘Campo de Gibraltar en digital 2025’ project and includes a series of actions aimed at promoting innovation and business digitalisation, with the aim of improving the competitiveness of companies in the region.
The event, which brought together more than 200 attendees, was held at the Chamber of Commerce’s own facilities and was supported by the DipuInnova Plus Programme of the Planning, Coordination and Strategic Development Department of the Cadiz Provincial Council. The aim of the conference was to bring the latest advances and developments in digitalisation and artificial intelligence to the business community, thanks to a line-up of top-level speakers from companies such as Google and Microsoft. Specifically, artificial intelligence and its application in everyday business played a prominent role in this third edition, bringing together companies, start-ups and entrepreneurs with the aim of disseminating trends, sharing knowledge and facilitating networking to learn about technological solutions and strategic projects for the region.
The APBA played a leading role both in the event’s exhibition space and in the day’s agenda, participating in the round table entitled ‘Digital transformation in the Campo de Gibraltar: success stories’ and was represented by Juan Antonio Herrera, Head of Innovation at the APBA. In his speech, he highlighted the importance of innovation within the APBA’s corporate strategy. He also shared various innovation projects carried out in the Port of Algeciras to, for example, improve the predictability of ship arrivals, thereby promoting the development of Just-in-Time operating models, or to detect spills and leaks in the marine environment in advance using an intelligent system, or to improve marine biodiversity through the deployment of biomimetic reefs supported by a system of underwater drones and artificial intelligence for monitoring.
He also highlighted the need to strengthen the local digital and entrepreneurial fabric in order to continue offering a competitive advantage to the logistics and port ecosystem of the Bay of Algeciras, as has been pursued through the activities of the Port of Algeciras Digital Entrepreneurship Centre, which focuses on port logistics and is promoted by the Regional Government of Andalusia and the Misión Andalucía initiative.
The Algeciras-based institution was accompanied in both sections by organisations with a strong presence in the port community and the technology sector, such as Acerinox, Moeve, Indorama Ventures, as well as EON-Sea and Torbellino Tech, start-ups affiliated with the Mission Programme. Finally, the Fair marked the official launch of the APBA’s recently published 2024 Innovation Report.
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